A Day in the Life of a Turtle
by Deana
Summary: Collection of snippets on our favorite Ninja Turtles! Snippet 3: 'Protector'. Raphael is fiercely protective of his younger brothers...
1. Genius Recognized

**Genius Recognized**  
A TMNT story by Deana Lisi  
I don't own any TMNT character. Phooey.

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"Donny?"

Donatello looked up from where he sat at his computer, not having heard anyone enter his lab. "Hey April."

The red-haired human walked closer. "Are you okay, Donny? It took you a while to hear me calling you."

Donatello smiled. "Oh sure, I'm fine."

"You must be doing some fascinating research," April said, reaching over to tap the monitor…which wasn't turned on.

Donatello didn't have an answer for that one.

April reached over for another chair and rolled it over, where she sat beside the turtle. "I can tell something's bothering you, Donny. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Donny nodded. "I know."

A few seconds passed, as he continued to stare at the blank monitor.

"Well?" said April.

Donatello sighed, before scrubbing a hand across his face. "It's…it's nothing, really. Nothing important."

April squeezed his arm. "If it bothers you, it's important, Donny. Now, spill."

Donatello lowered his hand and smiled at her, before sighing again. "It's just…a dream I had."

"A dream?"

"Yeah. Like…do you ever feel unappreciated?"

April nodded. "Well, sure, everyone probably feels that way at some point. What's wrong?"

Donny sighed again. "It's…the guys," he said, gesturing outside the lab. "I mean, look at what I do…with all the 'cool tech stuff', as Mikey calls it. Do you realize how many situations would never have been resolved, and how many times we might not have _survived_ if not for some of the things that I've invented?" He bowed his head. "I hate to say this stuff, since it probably sounds conceited, but…"

April grabbed his hand, stopping him. "Donny, you are the most intelligent person that I've ever known. It isn't conceited at all."

Donny suddenly raised his head and threw his arms up into the air. "And yet, all I hear is, 'Donny, fix this!' 'Donny, build this!' I hardly ever get a, 'Hey Donny, you saved our shells! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!'"

April patted his shoulder. "I'm sure they're grateful, Donny. They're probably just so used to it, that they don't realize how you feel."

Donny sighed.

A sudden thought struck April. "Hey Donny…I have an idea."

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A couple weeks later, April came by the lair with pizza…and a manila envelope.

"April!" said Mikey, jumping off the couch. "Pizza! You're the best, dudette!"

Donatello knew why April was here, and he quickly dashed out of his lab.

Raphael and Leonardo heard the commotion and came out, eagerly digging into the food.

"I have something interesting to tell you, guys," April said, sitting next to Donny.

"Whazzat?" Mikey asked, his mouth full.

"I have something here," she said, opening the envelope.

Donatello's stomach clenched with butterflies as she removed a piece of paper. He felt his heart skip a beat when she looked directly at him.

"207."

Despite _knowing_ how smart he was, Donatello's mouth dropped open.

The other turtles looked from April to Donny and back again.

"Huh?" said Raphael. "What's 207 mean?"

"207," April said. "Is Donatello's IQ."

Her statement was met with silence.

Leonardo, at least, realized the significance, and sat staring at his genius brother.

"Um," said Mikey, still eating. "That's like, really high, right?"

"Of course it is, shell-for-brains!" said Raph. His gruff words did nothing to hide the shock in his voice.

"Donny's IQ is one of the highest ever recorded," April continued. "Only one in a million people have an IQ of 170-200, nevermind _higher_." She handed the paper to Donatello, who took it.

"Wow," was all he could say.

"That's the reason why he's able to _save your lives so often_," April told the others. "By inventing and creating such fantastic technical gadgets…and let's not forget the all-important computer hacking."

The three turtles seemed to be getting April's message. All three of them stared at Donny so much that he was getting embarrassed.

"Um," Donatello said, clearing his throat. "This doesn't change anything, guys. I'm still me."

April kicked him under the table. "Yes, it _does_ change something," she countered. "Donny isn't simply a 'Mr. Fix It' with a knack to put things together. You're looking at one of the smartest people in the world, here; his IQ is even higher than Einstein's was."

No one knew what to say. In a predictable move, Michelangelo took the last piece of pizza out of the box and placed it on Donny's plate.

Everyone laughed, and the ice was broken.

Raphael stood to get himself something to drink. On the way by, he gave Donatello a noogie. "I knew ya had in ya, bro," he said.

"Yeah, dude," said Mikey, stealing a piece of pepperoni off Donny's slice. "I'm not surprised. I don't know anyone even _half_ as smart as you!"

Leonardo understood the lesson that April was trying to teach them. He stood, placed his hands together, and bowed. "Your station requires respect," he said. "And you shall receive more of it."

Donny was blushing by now, and looked back at April. _Thanks,_ he mouthed.

She smiled.

THE END

I wrote this after noticing in the current TMNT cartoon series that the turtles hardly ever say 'thank you' to Donny,  
even when his inventions save their lives. Sheesh.


	2. Bittersweet

**Bittersweet**  
A Ninja Turtle snippet  
By Deana Lisi

This is my idea on what happened after the end of episode 1 of the new season, 'Back to the Sewers'.  
(They have eyeballs! I'm so glad! lol)

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A hand touched Donatello's shoulder, but he barely felt it as he hung his head. "It's all my fault," he said.

Silence ruled over the lair…the lair that they had spent almost a year trying to get back to, having unexpectedly spent the time in the year 2105.

"But…but…you can get him back, right?" Mikey's shocked voice asked.

_Get him back? _Donatello suddenly found himself sitting down, belatedly realizing that Leo had guided him over to a nearby chair. He didn't answer Mikey...Viral had used Serling's weapons to blast Splinter into a billion tiny pieces of data. _There's no way to get him back!_

Tears slipped down his cheeks.

Everyone stared, having held their breath for Donny's reply. The sight of the tears from their genius brother completely destroyed their hope.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!" Raphael bellowed. "Ya can't do nothin'? Ya tellin' me that Splinter's _dead_?!"

Donny put his head in his hands.

Leonardo squeezed his younger brother's shoulder. "Stop it, Raph! This isn't Donny's fault!"

"He was _in_ that _thing_ when it fired!" Raph shouted, pointing at Serling, who'd been trying to slink away.

Donatello raised his head at Raph's words, visibly shaking. "What? Are you saying that I…that I…"

"No, he's not, Donny," Leo said, squeezing his shoulder again before standing. "_Are_ you, Raph?"

The red-banded turtle ignored them, stalking over to the futuristic robot. "What did you _do_?!" he shouted.

Mikey ran over and stood in-between them.

Serling waved his hands in the air. "It wasn't me! Viral took over my systems again! She sent a surge of electricity through all of my circuits, and then I had no control!"

"Electricity?" said Leo, looking at Donny, who was still shaking, his face in his hands. "Are you all right, Donny?"

The other turtle didn't answer.

"Donny?" said Leo, shaking his shoulder.

Mikey ran over, and Raph turned around, finally noticing the urgent tone in their oldest brother's voice.

Leonardo pulled Donny's hands away from his face, trying to see him. "Did you get zapped too, Donny?"

The olive-green turtle didn't look up. "My fault," he whispered, brokenly, still shaking.

"Let's get him to his room," Leo told the others.

Raphael, feeling guilty now, left the cowering Serling and went over to his brothers, who were pulling Donny up from his seat. He elbowed Mikey out of the way and picked Donny up himself, carrying him towards his room.

The other turtles silently followed.

The younger turtle was completely limp, apparently passed out. Raph wondered if it was caused by the electrical zap or his shocked grief.

_He was in that thing when it fired!_ His betraying words filled his mind's ears, and he wondered just how much he'd contributed to his brother's current state.

"Raph—" said Mikey, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by Leo's stern look.

Entering his brother's room for the first time in almost a year, Raphael gently laid Donatello onto his bed, pulling a blanket over him. "I'm sorry, Donny," he whispered. "I don't blame ya."

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When Donatello woke up, he had a headache and his body was tingling. He didn't know why, and tried to shift into a more comfortable position. _Who'd we fight this time? I don't remember, _he thought. _I must've been knocked out. I hope everyone else is okay…_

A sigh met his ears, and memories of what had happened slammed into his mind with enough force to make him gasp.

Raphael looked up at the sound, and reached over to put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Take it easy, Donny! Just stay put."

Donatello's eyes were opened wide and he was breathing heavily. "Sp-Splinter? Did that really happen?" He resisted Raphael's hold and managed to sit up, looking around and realizing that he was back in his old bedroom. "It did…we're home…Splinter…" He looked up at the other turtle as if seeing him for the first time. "Raph?"

Raphael sighed again, at the pleading tone from his brother. As they'd grown, he'd made it his job to keep an eye on his younger siblings, and he hadn't heard the 'what-happened-Raph-protect-me' tone from Donny in years.

Tears filled Donny's eyes as he remembered Viral turning Serling's weapons on his brothers, and seeing Splinter take the blast. He'd tried so hard to stop her, but he hadn't been good enough.

"What are ya sayin', Donny? Of course ya good enough," said Raphael.

Donny hadn't realized that he'd spoken aloud. "I tried to stop her, but I couldn't!" he said. "I'm sorry!"

Guilt overwhelming him, Raphael reached over and put his hand on the back of his brother's neck, bringing his forehead closer to rest against his own. "We know ya tried, Donny. None of us blames ya. _I'm_ the one who's sorry. Ya know I have a bad habit of runnin' my big mouth without thinkin' first."

Donatello sniffed.

"If anythin' coulda been done, ya woulda done it," Raphael continued. "Stop blamin' yourself, bro, and try to think of a way to get him _back _instead."

Donny shook his head, the tears falling onto Raphael's knees, who didn't seem to mind. "I don't think there _is_ a way, Raph! He's been blasted into a billion data bytes!"

Raphael wasn't surprised to hear that. Deep inside, he was sure that Splinter was truly forever gone. He had to swallow a few times before he was able to speak, trying to be strong for his brother. "If that's really true, Donny, then we'll have to find a way to get by. We still have each other. If it's _not_ true, then you're the only one of us smart enough to figure out how to get him back."

Donatello nodded. "I'll—I'll give it some thought."

Raphael nodded back and clapped his brother's shoulder, before sitting back.

Donny remained where he was, head bowed. He wiped his eyes before looking around the room again. "Bittersweet," he muttered.

"Huh?" said Raphael.

"We tried so hard to get home, and now we're here," Donny replied, sounding dazed. "But at what cost?"

Raphael didn't know what to say. He took his brother's arm and pushed him back down to the pillow. "Just rest, Donny."

But the other turtle shook his head, even as his eyes closed drowsily. "Raph…"

"Yeah?"

"Where did Viral go after we got back?" Donny whispered.

Raphael's eyes opened wider. He opened his mouth to speak, but his brother had fallen asleep. Clenching his fists, Raphael knew that he and his brothers had quite a fight coming…and he couldn't _wait_.

The End


	3. Protector

**Protector**  
A Ninja Turtle snippet by Deana Lisi  
Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles.

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_If the guys knew that I still kept a journal, they'd probably laugh at me. Thank God for computers with 'hide folder' options. The subject of today's entry: Raphael._

_I almost died today. But thanks to Raphael—as usual—I didn't._

_Sensei has mentioned many times that the day he found us tiny turtles, we were all different sizes. Leonardo was the biggest, with Raphael a close second. Mikey and I were 'much smaller', apparently. The next day, when we'd unexpectedly grown thanks to our exposure to the mutagen, he'd wisely taken a marker and written 1, 2, 3, and 4 on our shells, according to size. Apparently, I was number 4 at first, but despite all of my brothers growing larger than me, Mikey was eventually deemed the youngest._

_My point is that 'big brother' Raphael quickly placed himself over Mikey and I as our 'protector'. I'm not saying that Leo never did, but Raphael always had a fierce need to shield us and keep us safe that sometimes bordered on the obsessive. During every battle, if one of us needs help, he's always there. I'm certainly not complaining, for there were many times when I seriously __did__ need his help._

_Like today._

_Today we were fighting the Purple Dragons. Time and time again, my brothers have tried to help me become more aware of attacks from behind, as that has annoyingly become my fighting weakness. After today, it appears that I still need more practice in that category…_

Donatello used his bo to knock a gun away from the Purple Dragon that he fought, before kicking him in the chest and sending him flying into a fence at the end of the alley. Before he even had a chance to turn around, a kick from behind sent him face-first into a nearby building, making him drop his bo. The impact sent a flash of light before his eyes, and he was too dazed to stop the Dragon from spinning him around and grabbing him by the throat.

Donatello grabbed the man's wrists, fighting to pull them away from his neck, but the Dragon had the advantage, being much bigger and obviously stronger. The man even knew to stand back as far as possible so the turtle couldn't even kick him.

The other turtles fought their own opponents, not realizing the soundless plight of their brother.

Donatello desperately tried to suck in a breath, but barely a wheeze emitted.

The Purple Dragon laughed and squeezed tighter.

Blinking his eyes, Donatello started to panic as his heart pounded, his chest aching with the need to breathe. His vision began to turn gray.

Just as the grayness started to blacken, a loud roar suddenly sounded and the pressure suddenly disappeared from his throat.

Donatello bonelessly fell to the ground.

He was barely aware of the arms that caught him. He didn't notice the person drag him away from the battle. He didn't hear the terrified voice calling his name.

He did, however, feel the hand that not so gently slapped his cheek.

"BREATHE, Donny!"

Suddenly, he was coughing, his throat on fire. He became aware that he was lying on the ground, his upper body propped against something.

He realized that it was one of his brothers.

Raphael nervously watched as Donatello coughed and wheezed. "Keep breathin', Donny," he said, his voice shaking as he unconsciously rocked the other turtle.

When Raphael had seen the man choking the life out of his younger brother, he'd nearly had a heart attack. Donatello's body had been totally limp, his eyes glazed and unseeing. It was a scene that he was sure to see in his nightmares.

He attacked the Dragon so fast, that the man never even knew what hit him.

When he'd got Donny away from the man, Raphael was terrified to find that he wasn't breathing.

"Raph?"

The red-banded turtle looked at his injured brother again. "It's okay, Donny, I got ya. Just keep breathin', okay bro?"

Donatello closed his eyes again, having a hard time obeying. He was in terrible pain and groaned after coughing again. Other voices eventually intruded on his ears, and after feeling himself suddenly lifted off the ground, he didn't remember much after that.

Even now, as he typed, Donatello's throat felt like he had the worst case of strep. Dark bruises circled his neck, and he could hardly talk or swallow. It was a miracle that his windpipe hadn't been crushed.

Raphael watched his brother from the doorway, frowning to see him out of bed. Part of him realized that Donny's injury didn't really require bed-rest, but it had shaken him so badly to see his brother half-dead and held within that Dragon's grasp, that he wished he could keep Donny as safe as possible.

How he wished his younger brothers didn't have to fight. Ever.

His must've sighed audibly, for Donatello suddenly turned his head before wincing and swiveling the chair instead. He opened his mouth, but Raphael held up a hand.

"Don't talk," Raph said.

Donatello closed his mouth.

"Um," said Raphael, awkwardly. "You weren't in your room, so…I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Donatello smiled and nodded slightly.

"Good," Raphael said. He turned to leave.

"Thanks, Raph," he heard a soft, scratchy voice say.

Turning, Raphael smiled. "Yer welcome, brainiac."

Donatello smiled back. Turning to his computer, he continued to type.

_Raphael, The Protector._

THE END


End file.
